The present invention relates in general to buoys, and in particular, to an automatically deployable flotation device for air-dropped sonobuoys.
A typical air-launched sonobuoy of the prior art deploys a gas bag which is automatically inflated upon contact with the water to provide the flotation required to support the sonar receiving and transmitting equipment. The bag usually has an opening attached with O-ring seals around a machined surface of a housing containing the pressurized gas cartridge used for inflation. Too frequently, there is leakage due to foreign matter at the seals, O-ring faults, or poorly machined surfaces. Occasionally, the gas cartridges fail or seams in the bag leak gas. Any of these occurrences shorten the useful life of the sonobuoy.